Bertrand, Kimberly A.Chang, Ellen T.Abel, Gregory A.Zhang, Shumin M.Spiegelman, DonnaQureshi, Abrar A.Laden, Francine2019-09-212011Bertrand, Kimberly A., Ellen T. Chang, Gregory A. Abel, Shumin M. Zhang, Donna Spiegelman, Abrar A. Qureshi, and Francine Laden. 2011. “Sunlight Exposure, Vitamin D, and Risk of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in the Nurses’ Health Study.” Cancer Causes & Control 22 (12): 1731–41. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-011-9849-x.0957-52431573-7225http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:41384778Purpose Case-control studies suggest increased sun exposure reduces non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) risk. Evidence from prospective cohort studies, however, is limited and inconsistent. We evaluated the association between ambient ultraviolet radiation (UV) exposure and NHL in a nationwide cohort of women, the Nurses' Health Study (NHS). Methods: Between 1976 and 2006, we identified 1064 incident NHL cases among 115,482 women in the prospective NHS. Exposures assessed included average annual UV-B flux based on residence at various times during life, vitamin D intake, and predicted plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels. We estimated incidence rate ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for risk of all NHL and histologic subtypes using Cox proportional hazards models. Results: NHL risk was increased for women residing in areas of high ambient UV radiation (UV-B flux >113 R-B count x 10(-4)) compared to those with lower exposure (<113), with positive linear trends at all time points. The multivariable-adjusted RR for high UV area at age 15 was 1.21 (95% CI: 1.00, 1.47; p-trend < 0.01). There was no evidence of statistical heterogeneity by subtype, although power was limited for subtype analyses. We observed no association between vitamin D measures and risk of NHL overall or by subtype. Conclusions: Our findings do not support the hypothesis of a protective effect of UV radiation exposure on NHL risk. We found no association between vitamin D and NHL risk.en-USJournal Article2019-09-2110.1007/s10552-011-9849-x